d20advancedfandomcom-20200214-history
Pamoja
Pamoja is a Tradition which originated in Africa during the Aevum Purgans, and are seen by many as being very backwards. Defined by their rigid caste system, the Pamoja believe that every person has their place in life, and should work together for the good of all. They are devoted environmentalists, who believe they have an absolute duty to sustain their world. History The Pamoja can trace their roots to the Aevum Purgans, but the exact origin of the tradition is very unclear. Conflicting reports attribute first use of the word "pamoja" to several influential African intellectuals and economists as a way to describe how a community could be built around ecological economics and long-term sustainability of environmental capital. Poorer communities like those in Sub-Saharan Africa were among the hardest-hit by the energy crisis that followed peak oil, and thus there was a demand for an energy solution which would not despoil their homes. While ecological economics had long considered the value of natural resources in the overall accounting of the "true cost" of a unit of production, "pamoja" would also value the skills and training of the labor being used in all stages of production as a natural resource. As Pamoja was refined over the course of the Aevum Purgans, economists identified the five most basic skillsets that would be used over the course of production. Three of them would directly relate to production itself, while two would serve to enhance the chains of production from the outside. The former are Harvest (the ability to collect natural resources), Construction (the shaping of natural resources into a finished product) and Transportation (bringing the Harvest to where it can be Constructed, or bringing the finished goods from Construction to market). The latter two skillsets are more general, and refer to how Knowledge workers (such as engineers, scientists and teachers) enhance production by creating more skilled workers, while the Law serves to protect the chain of production from disruption or corruption. These basic skillsets would become a core of Pamoja, the foundation for the caste system which underpines the entire Tradition. As many of the smaller African republics were among the earlier states to collapse during the Titanic Crusade, the importance of structure and order from the tradition of Pamoja became more and more important, and so they became dependent on an increasingly-rigid caste system. Castes of Pamoja Every person born into Pamoja is born into the caste of his or her parents, and is taught from a very early age how to best serve in that caste. A person's caste is as immutible as the color of his or her skin, passed down from parent to child forever. People marry only within their castes, and help train their children to work within their castes. Most of an individual's closest friends will be within a caste, though friendships across castes are socially acceptable (but a fine line must be walked not to appear more friendly to an outside caste than to one's own caste). The people of Pamoja can change castes, but it is not an easy process. Though legally the process is quite simple (petition a Kulinda judge, who can change the caste of any individual to one "that suits the person better"). The biggest barrier is social: it is seen as very insulting for the community if someone shames his or her caste. Such people are seen as "troublemakers" and "selfish", and one of the worst things for someone in the Pamoja community to be labled would be "selfish". Such people are referred to as "ostriches" by the community, which linguists believe is actually a bastardization of the term "ostrasized", or to shun someone and ban that person from polite society. The people of Pamoja take it one step further, however, and say, "You are like an ostrich who wastes all day trying to fly." In other words, "You were born into your caste, not some other caste." If a person can weather the storm of insults and peer pressure, the next step is to meet with a local Kulinda judge and formally change to a new caste. The Kulinda judge will hear the merits of the switch, based on the individual's skills. It is the role of the Kulinda judge to suggest other jobs within the individuals caste that he or she might yet be suited for, and challenge him or her to try everything to stay within his or her caste. If they have not already come, caste elders from the local community will come at this point to try to persuade the individual back into the fold, often with promises of forgiveness or additional pay. But if the individual still insits on changing caste, and cannot be disuaded, the Kulinda judge is largely obligated by tradition to accept the petition and change the individual's caste. At this point, however, the entire community has heard about "the ostrich", and even in a new caste, the individual will have difficulty finding acceptance, let alone work. Switching castes has been shown time and time again to be one of the surest ways for someone from Pamoja to wind up in poverty. Unlike in other caste systems, there is no true hierarchy within the Pamoja caste system. All castes are, in theory, equal. It is only their relative importance in a given area that gives them power. In a city far from any mines or farms, for example, the Kubeba and Kufunda may be the most powerful castes, while the Kulisha would be seen as weaker and less able to contribute. Matters of dispute with traditional Pamoja laws are always resolved by the Kulinda caste, so they do have a tendency to rise to prominent positions within the community, but abuses of power are rarely tolerated by the other four castes. Kubeba The most nomadic of the five castes, the Kubeba are responsible for transportation and logistics, primarily of bringing raw materials to be shaped into finished goods, and for bringing finished goods to market. Many Kubeba are also involved with carrying people from place to place, so it is little surprise that many great pilots of the Race to the Stars and the Pax Caeli were from the Kubeba caste. They tend to be the most outgoing caste, most comfortable with outsiders and people who do not follow Pamoja. Kufunda This caste is responsible for the passing of knowledge from one generation to the next. They are the teachers and knowledge-workers of Pamoja. In addition to educators, they count scientists, economists, accountants, doctors, and computer programmers among their numbers. While the caste strongly values education and intelligence, its diverse responsibilities make it the least-unified of all the castes, and its interests often fall by the wayside of the other castes. However, the dependence of other castes on the Kufunda for training means that this caste always holds some sway in the local community. Kujenga The craftsmen and construction workers, the Kujenga caste takes the raw materials harvested from the Earth and shapes them into something useable. While the Kujenga count many laborers among their numbers, they also boast some terrific engineers and architects who guide the caste in creating useful finished products. Because they spend such a great deal of time working with their hands, Kujenga traditionally welcome one another into their homes with a basin of water to wash up with. This is not considered an insult, but a show of respect for one's hard work. Kulinda A caste of police, judges and lawyers, the Kulinda are responsible for upholding and administering traditional Pamoja law. Many Kulinda go on to study secular law or serve in the local police force or even military, but they are expected to use those skills to better the Pamoja community they came from. The most traditional Kulinda attend the Kuwaambia, where they are taught to memorize and recite traditional Pamoja law. If they stay completely true to their traditions, Kuwaambia is a pursuit of fourteen years (though most Kulinda study it for an abreviated term of four years while they are teenagers), and those who complete the Kuwaambia become Kulinda judges, the only people able to decide on matters of traditional Pamoja law. Kulisha The Kulisha are the farmers, miners, and loggers who help society run. They are far and away the most numerous laborers in these fields the world over. But more important than that, they consider themselves to be stewards of the planet Earth, responsible for its wellbeing. The Kulisha caste pioneered many of the techniques of energy-neutral or energy-positive harvesting of raw materials that are still in use today. In this way, all Kulisha-run projects tend to be very clean, even "dirty" jobs like mining or oil drilling. Livestock, being largely energy-negative (energy is lost on each step up the food-chain), are utilized extensively by Kulisha herders and farmers to provide other products and services before they are offered up for slaughter and sale. A livestock's entire life-cycle is used to enhance the local environment before the slaughter and it is removed as an energy debt. Like the Kujenga clan, the Kulisha consider it proper to greet one their guests with wash basins, as they tend to get their hands dirty too. Pamoja and Ardhism Ardhism is a syncretic faith practiced widely throughout the Pamoja community which blends many ancient African practices with elements of Neopaganism and countless other faiths. The primary article of faith of Ardhism is the notion of manabii, or "prophets", who are sent by the spirit of the Earth to guide humanity towards oneness. Ardhii (as adherents of Ardhism call themselves) count the prophets and saviors of other faiths as their own manabii, each of whom is marked by a "five-fold reflection", and each of whom was divinely inspired to teach man how to live in harmony with nature and with one another. Ardhism uses many ancient African practices to conjure elements of the Earth-spirit as part of their ceremonies of worship so that they may offer thanks and seek guidance. For Ardhii, life is to be lived in harmony, and many of their ceremonies and practices require singing and dancing to show unity with others. Faithful Ardhii traditionally greet one another by taking both their hands together to form a ring between them, and the annual Pete ya Umoja is a very large example of this. During the Pete ya Umoja, the Ardhii will join hands in a great ring around their place of worship, and traditionally invite outsiders to join them, with the goal of "unity of all people with the whole planet". In practice, the Ardhii will usually manage to encircle their place of worship, or a few blocks in their neighborhood, forming a human wall that often further isolates the Pamoja from the larger community. Communities Pamoja tend to live in more rural areas, prefering them to more developed urban centers. These communities tend to be rather insular, and many Pamoja in their home communities will fall silent when visited by outsiders. However, even in large urban centers, the Pamoja neighborhoods tend to keep to their traditions. Castes tend to congregate together, often living on the same street or same block. Kulisha will almost always mark their homes with some sort of green gardens, or at least windowboxes. No matter what the dominant power in the city may be at the time, they will often assign Kulinda law enforcement to patrol Pamoja neighborhoods. About the only "open" component of a Pamoja community will be Kubeba drivers and pilots, who frequent transportation lanes and thus interact quite freely and openly with people of other traditions.